Spoilers ahead for Strands #604.

Today’s theme and difficulty (Strands #604)

Today’s puzzle centers on writing tools and materials, with a direct nod to a classic desk staple.

Key Detail
Theme The write stuff
Difficulty Moderate
Spangram length 10 letters
Spangram path (board edges) Touches top (3rd column) and bottom (4th column)

Starter words that unlock in‑game hints

Play any of these to trigger the Strands hint system if you need a nudge:

Starter words
WORSE
READ
WOOD
HIDE
HEAR
LIFER

Spangram details

The spangram ties the theme together as a single, continuous path across the grid.

Item Value
Spangram (contiguous) PENCILMEIN
Phrase Pencil me in
Letter count 10

Today’s Strands answers (full list)

Final warning: the complete set of solutions is below.

Word What it is
ERASER Rubber tip or block used to remove pencil marks
REFILL Replacement lead used in mechanical pencils
GRAPHITE The dark core material that makes a pencil write
CEDARWOOD Common wood used for the pencil body
SHARPENER Blade tool that exposes fresh lead and points the tip
SPANGRAM: PENCILMEIN Theme-spanning path that encapsulates the puzzle’s idea

Why these answers fit the theme

All solutions orbit a single object: the pencil. The grid pairs the staple itself (through the spangram) with what surrounds it in daily use. The body is cedarwood, the writing core is graphite, mistakes vanish with an eraser, you maintain the tip with a sharpener, and mechanical variants rely on a refill. The set cleanly captures both the makeup and the ecosystem of a pencil.

If you’re still mid-solve, try building around longer anchor entries like GRAPHITE or SHARPENER to free up letters for the shorter pieces. Otherwise, you can safely log today’s streak—this one leans practical and literal, with all roads leading back to the pencil.